"It must be because Uncle said something bad about Rasputin!"
Seeing Uncle Maori instinctively rub his right eye, Conan couldn't help but laugh.
Talk about ruthless—this guy just called Rasputin a bad guy in the castle, and he nearly got executed for it.
"I forgot I even said that…" Uncle Maori muttered, exasperated.
Tsuneo rode with the Maori family in their car, heading back to the familiar streets of Beika Town.
…
That evening, a light rain began to fall.
Tsuneo, driving his red pickup truck to a client's house for a repair job, slammed on the brakes when he spotted a certain phantom thief lurking in the shadows.
"Dressed like that, what, you got some kind of psychic foresight?"
Kaito, clad in a Teitan High uniform, flicked his hair and climbed into the repairman's truck without hesitation. "Just picking up my pigeons."
"My rides aren't free. Where's Mr. Terai?" Tsuneo held out his hand for payment.
"Gramps is busy at the bar," Kaito said, shooting a glance at the so-called Dark Knight.
Seriously, I'm here to help you guys out…
Tsuneo pocketed the cash, grinning as he drove the phantom thief toward the Maori Detective Agency.
…
Inside the Maori Detective Agency, Shinichi Kudo's sudden appearance interrupted Ran and Conan's conversation.
What the…?
The great detective snapped to attention, instantly piecing it together.
He's here to cover for me?
"Wait, I'll grab a towel!" Ran said, seeing Shinichi's rain-soaked clothes. Overjoyed at their reunion, she dashed upstairs.
Kaito glanced at the detective nearby, then at Ran, smirked, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and slipped out of the agency.
From their conversation, his timing seemed perfect.
Conan followed him out, step by step.
"Hold it, Kaitou Kid. You almost had me fooled."
"Didn't expect you to disguise yourself as Officer Shiratori and tag along."
The great detective called out to the thief downstairs.
"Is that so?"
Kid's lips curled into a smile as he whistled.
Funny thing—even you were fooled. How did that guy who's always crashing into trees see through me?
At the whistle, the white pigeon, its injury healed, fluttered out of a window and perched on his shoulder.
"You knew something was going to happen on that ship, didn't you?" Conan said, watching Kid produce pigeons one by one with a flick of his hand.
Getting shot in the right eye? No way you'd act like nothing happened.
"I wasn't sure. At first, I thought with that knight on board, things would stay calm. But then I tapped into the ship's comms and found out something was up," Kid admitted.
He'd considered staying out of the ship's mess, but Scorpio had to be dealt with.
"And another thing—you stole that egg just to return it to its rightful owner, Miss Natsumi."
"You knew the egg's creator was Mr. Kiichi, the Magician of the Century's End, which is why your calling card was worded like that," Conan deduced.
"So, what else did you figure out?" Kid asked, still pulling pigeons out of nowhere with some sleight of hand.
"Miss Natsumi's great-grandmother was Maria, the third daughter of Nicholas II."
Kid turned, giving Conan a deep look.
"Her body was never found because Mr. Kiichi saved her before the execution. They escaped to Japan, fell in love, and got married."
"But she died after giving birth."
"To protect Maria's body, Mr. Kiichi sold the gems she brought to build that castle."
"As for why it's German-style, that might tie to her mother."
"Maria's body and one egg stayed in the secret chamber, while the other egg was left outside, waiting for her descendants to find it."
The great detective wove together every scrap of evidence, unraveling the entire mystery.
Kid smiled. "Here's some advice: some things in this world are better left as mysteries."
Whether it's the woman lying in that coffin, now just bones, or my true identity—or yours.
Conan nodded, getting it. "Yeah, maybe this riddle should stay unsolved."
By now, Kid had transformed into a pigeon god, his back to the detective, covered in dozens of birds.
"One more riddle—can you solve it?"
"Why would I disguise myself as Shinichi Kudo to bail out a tricky rival?"
With that final question, the phantom thief spread his arms, snapped his fingers with a grin, and vanished into the night.
A flock of pigeons soared into the sky, leaving Conan to catch a single feather drifting down.
You know why…
Ran came downstairs with a towel and one of her dad's clean shirts, only to learn from Conan that Shinichi had rushed off again!
…
Two streets away.
"All done?" Tsuneo asked, smirking as Kaito hurried back.
Magic tricks like transforming are better watched from the audience—otherwise, you'd see a dark figure sprinting desperately through the rainy night.
"Perfect timing. I overheard that girl questioning his identity at the door," Kaito said, stowing his special cloak and sinking into the seat, relieved.
It was finally over.
Scorpio was delivered to the police, and this favor was repaid.
"If you're done, why'd you climb back into my truck?" Tsuneo asked, glancing at Kaito.
I've got a client to get to.
"Huh?"
"You were parked here the whole time—weren't you waiting for me?" Kaito asked, bewildered.
I saw you stopped from blocks away, so I ran over. What are you talking about?
Just then, a shopgirl in an apron dashed out from a nearby store, handing Tsuneo a bag of freshly packed food through the window.
"Thank you for your purchase!"
Tsuneo paid, then turned to Kaito.
Might not be what you thought, but that's how it is…
"Make sure you change out of those clothes quick, or you might get shot!"
With that final warning, Tsuneo waved goodbye.
Kaito stood there, watching the red pickup drive off, utterly speechless.
Whether by accident or on purpose, that guy had nabbed his "invisibility" prop—along with a screwdriver—and stuffed them into his toolbox…
(End of Chapter)
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